Aspie
by SteelDolls
Summary: Neru has Asperger's Syndrome. When she goes to live with Master's Vocaloids in the house, she interacts in her own particular way. I decided to do this fic, mainly from Neru's point of view, to help illustrate a little bit of what living with this disability can be like, and with the desire to help reduce the spread of misinformation about this particular form of autism.
1. Chapter 1

_Please note that Asperger's is a spectrum disorder. Meaning, that although there are many similar traits to all aspies, everyone has it a little differently, and everyone who has it is an individual with their own particular issues, traits, and personality types. Not to mention severity in the 'level' of disability._

 _This fic, and Neru's types of thinking patterns and responses within it, are mainly based off my own personal life experience. I encourage anyone with an interest in learning more about this somewhat unique form of autism to do a quick google search on it. It's honestly fascinating, even (or maybe, even especially) to a person who lives with it._

...

"Everybody, this is Neru. She'll be living with us as of today," Master introduced the blonde-haired female Vocaloid and smiled. Neru's hazel eyes stared at a fixed point away from everyone's new faces. "She's a little shy, so please help her feel at home, okay?"

Smiling faces looked back at Neru, and each of the Vocaloids introduced themselves with a chorus of. "Hi Neru!" "My name is..." "Welcome to your new home, Neru."

Neru's face didn't smile or flicker with any emotion as the introductions concluded. A few of the Vocaloids exchanged confused glances at her lack of response.

"Say hello, Neru," Master prompted the new Vocaloid, and Neru opened her mouth to speak.

"Hello."

Master smiled and patted Neru briefly on the shoulder. The encouraging contact and warmth felt good to Neru, but she didn't let it show on her still face. She felt anxious about the enormous change of moving to Master's home and living in a new place. She was used to the store's routine, but now everything was different. She felt very uncomfortable. But she was careful to not show her stressed-out emotions on her face.

"Miku, please show Neru to her new room, and answer any questions she has about how we do things around here. Okay?" Master requested, still smiling. It was clear he was pleased about getting a new Vocaloid in the house.

"Okay, Master," Miku smiled back, and trotted over to Neru, smiling a warm, friendly smile at her new sister, which faltered slightly and was replaced by a sweatdrop as Neru didn't smile back. Didn't even meet Miku's eyes.

Neru stared at Miku's shoulder and watched her new sister's face intensely with her peripheral vision only. It was important not to be caught looking directly at anyone's face. Neru had a system; if anyone looked at her while her eyes were on their face, she quickly unfocused them to a point in the distance. There was a brief enough fraction of time between when she noticed someone's eyes starting to move, and when they focused on her own eyes, to make it work successfully every time.

"Ummm, are you ready to go, Neru? I'll show you your room now," Miku said, cancelling out her original question by uttering a declarative statement directly afterwards. Neru didn't have to respond, since the course of action had already been decided, so she remained silent and waited for Miku.

Miku sweatdropped again, and glanced at her fellow Vocaloids who were still around, for help. No help there; everyone was staring somewhat uncomfortably at Neru, now. Master seemed oblivious, and turned around with a wave as he left the situation in Miku's hands.

"Ummm, so, just... follow me. Okay?" Miku turned and walked a few steps, glanced back, walked a few more, and when there was enough distance between them, Neru began to follow in Miku's wake. Miku sighed in relief and a little bit of confusion regarding Neru's behavior.

'Is this really just shyness?' Miku wondered to herself as she stopped outside the door to Neru's bedroom. "Here we are!" Miku stated, and opened the door. Neru looked inside.

"We have breakfast at 7:30 in the dining room, and start work on our singing after Master watches the news at 8:00. Lunch is at 12:30. We get a break after lunch to do whatever we want; watch tv or read a book or take a walk, whatever you want. Dinner is at 6:00 and we have chores to do during the day. Do you have any questions?" Miku rattled off the list, and finished with a question.

"No," Neru answered, her face still blank, absorbing all the new information Miku was providing.

"...Okay, then," Miku said, and stood awkwardly at the door for a moment. Neru watched Miku's shoulder, waiting for the next piece of information. Apparently Miku was done providing information though, as she finished her speech by saying, "Well, if you have any questions, my door is the one down the hall with the plaque that says "Miku" on it. Okay? Talk to you later!"

Miku turned and walked down the hall, glancing over her shoulder once, thinking worridly to herself that her new sister seemed kind of unfriendly.

Neru watched Miku's back out of the corner of her eye, concerned about turning her head or body to do so, and perhaps draw attention to the fact that she was watching Miku. Neru didn't want to make Miku uncomfortable by watching her too closely or obviously.

When Miku disappeared from sight, Neru looked around the hallway. She needed to use the bathroom badly, but she didn't know where it was. Neru started to feel overwhelmed and a little bit panicky about the new situation. She wasn't familiar with the layout of her new home.

Neru wished Miku had offered to give her a tour and show her where the bathroom was, at least. It didn't even occur to Neru that this was the sort of question she should have asked when Miku prompted her. It also didn't occur to Neru to go knock on Miku's door to ask for help now.

Neru anxiously walked down the hallway, scared to open doors to find out if one of them was the bathroom. She could tell that some of them were the other Vocaloids' rooms, by the name plaques on them.

Neru memorized the names she read on the plaques, but couldn't put faces to the names, although she had just been introduced to them verbally and visually in person. Each of the plaques had a different color scheme, and Neru wrote the words that went with the colors in her mind next to the names she read, making an association. Labels and written text were comforting, unchanging.

"Hey, Neru," A male Vocaloid greeted her in the hallway. Neru carefully averted her gaze from his face so as not to be rude. "Are you looking for something?"

"Yes," Neru answered. The boy in front of her paused. His hair was yellow.

"What are you looking for?" The boy asked after a moment. "Maybe I can help."

"I'm looking for the bathroom," Neru replied hopefully, her voice an unchanging monotone.

"Oh! Miku didn't show you where it was?" Len asked, surprised.

"No," Neru admitted.

"That's okay, I can help you. Just follow me. By the way, I know I already mentioned it, but my name's Len," The yellow-haired boy said and smiled.

The name flashed in Neru's memory. The words 'Len' 'yellow' and 'plaque' popped up, and though Neru couldn't remember the visual color, she knew by the words that Len's name had been the one with the yellow plaque. Len's hair was also yellow. Neru made the association between Len's looks- yellow- and his name on the yellow plaque, and memorized Len's name with the new data.

Len hadn't asked a question, so Neru remained quiet as she followed Len to the bathroom.

"Here you go, it's this door here. When you're done, leave the door ajar so people know it's not in use anymore. Do you understand?" Len asked.

Neru recognized that it was a question, so she replied, "Yes." Neru felt very grateful, and she thought that she liked the friendly boy in front of her. It felt comforting and relieving to have someone who would help her in her new environment.

"Do you know where the other important areas are? Like the dining room and the kitchen? Did Miku tell you about our chores?" Len asked, and Neru felt confused. Which question was she supposed to answer? She was silent for a moment, and Len must have taken it as shyness.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to bombard you with a bunch of questions when you just got here. If I'm being too overwhelming, just tell me, and I'll back off, okay?" Len asked.

Neru's gratitude returned; Len was a good person. He cared about what other people felt like. Neru replied to his question, "Yes."

"Okay..." Len paused, and looked at Neru, a slightly confused expression on his face. Neru didn't understand the look, and it passed through her eyes without flagging her that it meant anything. "Do you want me to wait outside the bathroom until you're done, and then show you around?"

Neru smiled happily inside, but her face outside didn't change. "Yes," She said, feeling eager and relieved, her voice a continuing monotone as she answered. Len nodded and got out of the way of the door, and Neru went inside the bathroom to do her business there.


	2. Chapter 2

_To reviewer "Awesome" - I am deeply and intensely grateful to you for your heartwarming encouragement in regards to this fic. Yours was the first review I received for this fic. It left me feeling awkward in a happy sort of way. However, in the future I would ask that other peoples' fics not be mentioned on reviews of my own fics. It is a little upsetting to me when this happens, since I feel like it is the wrong place for it. I hope it will not upset you that I ask for this._

 _ _To reviewer_ "...I like this." - Yes. The types of interactions/reactions, and lack thereof, that Neru expresses so far in this story are pretty typical of how I interacted with others as a preteenager and my thought process behind my behavior. If this story continues, some incidents/events from my childhood may crop up in story form at some point. ^^; As for romance in this story- huh, maybe! That poses its own unique problems/challenges, too, since it requires communication as well. But aspies love, too, sometimes very deeply._

 _To everyone who left reviews/encouragement, thank you so much. I am a little bit baffled at getting instant, and (to me) overwhelmingly positive, feedback like this. I'm so grateful not to be getting a nasty response (yet... lol) like I half expected to get about Neru's character being too unlikeable or difficult to understand. I appreciate that no one has yelled at Neru to "just stop being like that," yet, lol. Not that that ever actually helps. ^^;_

 _Here is another chapter that I hope you will enjoy. :)_

 _(And don't worry, I don't expect overwhelming quantities of reviews or positive responses on every chapter. ;) Just to let you know, so the pressure is off, haha... ;)_

...

"And for the final stop on our grand tour, here's the kitchen," Len wrapped up, opening his arms wide, expressively, smiling a sunny smile back at Neru's unresponsive face. "When it's your turn to wash the dishes, you'll use the sink over there, and someone else will rinse them, and someone else will dry them. We all share in the chores around here, so you'll get told when and what you need to do, when it's your turn."

Neru absorbed the information silently.

"Master usually disapproves of us having snacks, but we have them anyways if we get hungry between meals. Did you have lunch?" Len asked.

"No," Neru answered. Her stomach felt very empty and she was indeed hungry, not to mention thirsty. She didn't know whether it was okay to feel comfortable enough to help herself to other peoples' food or use their dishes, even if it was to get a glass of water.

Neru hoped Len would offer her something, explain things a little more clearly, or ask her to join him in a snack, so she didn't have to worry. Her anxiety was still pretty intense from all the new things she had to take in and learn and get used to, and she didn't feel comfortable or routine in her environment at all yet. She knew she had a hard time with change. People had told her so.

"Do you like peanut butter? We could have some peanut butter and celery, or some crackers," Len offered up, and Neru felt intensely grateful. A warm feeling bloomed in her stomach towards the considerate blonde male Vocaloid.

"Yes," Neru replied. Len flashed a bright grin again, feeling rewarded by the interaction with what he was starting to classify in his mind as his new, maybe-not-so-good-with-socializing sister Vocaloid.

Neru watched Len get the peanut butter, crackers, and celery out, and noted their locations. She wondered to herself if those were safe things to take if she wanted to eat something again in the future. Len also got out a couple of plastic cups, and Neru felt relieved that she would not have to contend with glass cups.

Sometimes Neru was clumsy, and accidentally breaking glasses was a traumatic experience that involved not only losing her drink, creating and cleaning a mess, but also being scolded for being not careful enough, if anyone found out that it was her fault. Neru could deal with fixing a problem, even if it meant cutting her fingers on sharp shards of glass, but the idea of being scolded made her cringe inwardly and her intestines knot up in fear and anxiety.

"Do you want milk or water?" Len asked as he set the cups down near the food. Neru thought for a moment. She liked milk better than water. But she only liked 2% milk. If she chose milk, and it was the wrong kind, she would have nothing to drink. She would not be allowed to choose again. Len opened the refrigerator and Neru saw that the milk inside was indeed 2%, and she answered, feeling more confident.

"I want milk," Neru said, and Len nodded and took the milk carton out of the fridge, poured two glasses, and put it back in the same spot. Len held out one of the cups to Neru, who was waiting to know which one she was allowed to have. She took the beverage silently and wondered if she was supposed to wait until Len took a drink first before she sipped her own milk.

Neru moved the plastic cup to her lips very slowly, intensely focusing on Len out of her peripheral vision, giving him a lot of time to correct her, in case she wasn't supposed to drink quite yet. But she was very thirsty. The first sip tasted really good, and Neru relaxed a little at not being corrected. 'It's okay to drink first,' Neru instructed herself for future reference.

"I like peanut butter with celery better, but you can have crackers instead if that's what you like. Which one do you want, Neru?" Len asked and opened the jar of peanut butter.

"I don't know," Neru replied, sounding indifferent. She knew she liked peanut butter, but she didn't know whether she preferred it on celery or on crackers. She really wanted to try it both ways and decide for herself, but she didn't want to pick the wrong thing, or ask for too much. Sometimes people got angry when she asked for too many things. Neru didn't like angry people.

"I'll just make you the same thing I'm having, then," Len decided for Neru, ignoring the crackers and getting the celery prepared. Neru didn't acknowledge Len, as there was no need to reply. He had already said what would happen.

In a few moments, Len finished making their snack, and put the ingredients away. Neru watched him out of her peripheral vision as she drank more of her milk. When he moved outside the range of her peripheral vision, she didn't move her head, instead waiting patiently for him to reappear, her senses straining.

"What do you think, Neru? I am a master chef, right?" Len asked, grinning humorously, and indicating the plate with the snack on it.

'Len is a master chef,' Neru filed the information away. But Len had also asked Neru a question. "Yes, Len. You are a master chef," Neru agreed in monotone. It must be true, or Len wouldn't have said so. At least, Neru had no reason to doubt the fact of it.

Len laughed as if Neru had made a joke, and grabbed a stalk of celery, taking a crunchy bite. "Go on, Neru, aren't you going to have some too?" Len asked with his mouth partially full.

"Yes," Neru said, glad to know she was free to help herself, and she took one of the celery stalks and started to eat as well. It tasted good, but the strings of the celery in her teeth were annoying. Neru wished she had some dental floss or something.

"Is it good?" Len asked as Neru reached for her second stick of celery. She paused, wondering if Len was disapproving of her reaching for a second piece with his sudden words interrupting her actions.

"Yes, it's good," Neru replied, and Len grinned at her and turned his attention back to his own food, not saying anything further at the moment. Neru listened for a moment longer, just in case, but since Len had not brought any verbal attention to the fact that her hand had been hovering over the food, she felt encouraged to continue eating the snack. Neru took a second piece and ate it, feeling her stomach start to settle a little bit.

"We'd better wash up the dishes; we might get scolded if Master finds out we've been snacking," Len grinned conspiratorially when they had finished eating. "I'll wash, you rinse, okay, Neru?"

Neru didn't think it was a question, since Len had already figured out what to do, so she followed him to the sink without comment. Len turned the hot water on and began washing the dishes one by one, handing them to Neru, soapy and slippery. She rinsed the first dish but then was at a loss as to what to do. There was no one to hand the rinsed dish over to, for them to dry it, like Len had mentioned earlier.

Neru hesitated badly, then placed the rinsed dishes quietly in the bottom of the sink with an unpleasant feeling of anxiety in her stomach. She was sure something was wrong with how she was doing this. She didn't look at Len. Was Master going to scold her? Was Len going to scold her?

"Oops, I'm sorry, I forgot the dish towel," Len said after a moment of quiet stress on Neru's part. She didn't look up, but her peripheral vision took in the image of a white dish towel as Len grabbed it and held it out to her. Her face was devoid of emotion as she took the towel that Len was clearly offering her, still not lifting her head.

"When you're done rising, just wipe them off, and I'll put them away this time, sound good?" Len instructed, and Neru felt a rush of relief to accompany her continuing anxiety and stress. Neru nodded, still not looking up.

When the task of washing the dishes was over, and they had been safely returned to their places in the cupboard, Len stretched his arms up over his head, then glanced, friendly back over to Neru.

"My TV program I like is coming in soon. Do you want to watch some TV?" Len offered.

"No," Neru replied. She didn't feel like watching television. She wondered if Len would offer another activity, since she liked his company. Maybe he liked to read, or do something interesting. Maybe he had a hobby that she would like.

"Oh. Well, okay. If you change your mind, you know where the TV room is, now," Len said, a little disappointed. "Are you going back to your room now?"

"Yes," Neru replied, feeling like she was being pressured into having a plan. Once she had said it, she felt committed to doing it, so Neru walked silently away from Len and left him in the kitchen by himself.

Len's crystal clear blue eyes followed Neru for a few moments.

"Huh," He said to himself, and shrugged his shoulders a little, vaguely mystified at Neru's almost rude behavior. His new sister Vocaloid was a little bit of a hard nut to crack. Maybe she just wasn't very interested in social things? In any case, Len didn't want to miss his show, so he left the kitchen too, and headed towards the TV room.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you for reviews!_

 _KagamineGekokujou - Thank you! I thought long and hard about which 'loid to make the main character in this fic, and I'm pleased that you liked my choice. ^^_

...

Neru watched the digital clock in her room as it changed from 5:59 to 6:00. She swung her legs out from the bed and stood back up, heading to the dining room. Dinner was 6:00. The girl had said so.

Neru walked down the hallway and entered the dining room, and stopped. Nobody was in there, and there was no food on the table. Neru paused, confused. As she stood, hesitating, a man walked in to the room and smiled at her.

"Hi, Neru. What are you doing?" The purple haired man asked as Neru stared across the room so that she could watch him from her peripheral vision, and not make eye contact with him. Neru's face didn't change, but she felt like frowning.

Clearly, she had done something wrong. This man was pointing out that she wasn't supposed to be there. He wanted to know what she was doing there, but there was no food, so she couldn't tell him that she was there for dinner. She would look stupid.

"Neru?" The man prompted, his smile not leaving his face, though he felt confused at the unfriendly ignoring of his question. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Neru replied and left the dining room and the man behind. She went back to her room. She knew it was a place she was supposed to go and be. Neru wasn't stupid, and she felt upset and frustrated that the girl from that afternoon had told her that dinner was at 6:00, and yet it wasn't. Neru was hungry.

Neru lay back on the bed for a moment, but she couldn't relax. The blankets felt different than normal, and the pillow smelled different than usual. It felt strange and uncomfortable to lay down in a different bed. Neru sat back up and jiggled her right leg nervously, quickly, for several long minutes as she stared at the wall, deep in her own thoughts.

...

"Dinner smells good!" Master enthused as he sat down at the table.

"Thank you, Master," Meiko smiled. "Miku helped me prepare it. Sorry it's a little later than usual tonight."

"That's okay, I was caught up in my work, anyways. If both of you two cooked together, it's sure to be extra tasty tonight!" Master grinned, complimenting the two chefs. The female Vocaloids exchanged glances and grinned at each other happily.

"Huh, where's Neru?" Master said after a moment, noticing one Vocaloid missing from the table. "Isn't she coming to dinner?"

"I saw her about 10 minutes ago," Gakupo offered, "Right here in the dining room, but when I spoke to her, she turned around and left."

"Did you say something upsetting?" Master frowned. That didn't sound like Gakupo; Master was a little concerned.

"Not at all. I just asked her how she was doing," Gakupo said, looking as confused as he felt about Neru's strange behavior.

"Hmm," Master said, still frowning, as he thought that over. He looked back up. "Rin, would you mind going to check Neru's room? Let her know that dinner is ready and see if she's coming to eat. Maybe she's not feeling well, on her first day in a new home."

Rin nodded and bounced up from the table, walking to the doorway, and then running down the hall energetically once she had cleared the dining room. Rin knocked on Neru's door. There was no response.

"Neru?" Rin tried calling through the door. There was still no response.

"Neru? Are you there?" Rin cupped her hand to her mouth and leaned forward to call through the door.

"Yes," A female voice called back. Rin tilted her head, thinking.

"Can I come in?" Rin called back through the door.

"Yes," Neru replied through the door.

Rin opened the door and walked into Neru's room. Neru was sitting on the edge of the bed, very rigidly. Her foot was moving back and forth at high speed, but she didn't move even slightly otherwise. Her face was lacking expression and she didn't lift her head from where her gaze was fixed as Rin entered.

...

Someone's voice Neru didn't know was calling her name through the door. She answered their request to come through the door. She felt a little tense at a stranger coming into her room, which was her new domain, even though it didn't really feel like her own space quite yet. Neru would have been intensely discomforted if the person hadn't asked though; it was good to know that people would not simply barge into her space. That meant the space maybe was Neru's space, after all.

The yellow color of the stranger's hair was the same color as Len's hair, and Neru felt confused for a moment. This person was clearly a girl, and her voice sounded different, too. But the color was the same. Neru hadn't seen Len enough times to get a good, concrete idea of recognition of what he looked like to be completely certain. Was this person Len? Or not?

"Master wants to know if you are coming to have dinner with us," The girl said, sharing a piece of factual information. Neru wondered if this information required action on her part; was she supposed to find Master to talk to him? Or wait for Master to appear, and then simply know that he would wish to talk to her when he did appear?

Neru did not want to miss dinner, but she was confused. She didn't know when or where dinner was. It wasn't at 6:00 in the dining room. She didn't know where Master was, either. Neru did not have a course of action, so she didn't get up, and she didn't know that Rin was waiting for a reply, so she didn't say anything.

"Ummm, so, do you want dinner?" Rin asked after a moment of silence. Rin shifted her balance between her feet, tilting her head again, at Neru.

The girl was asking Neru a question this time, so Neru answered, "Yes." Neru wanted dinner.

"Oh, okay! Do you remember how to get to the dining room?" Rin asked, her energy returning with the reply.

"Yes... Len?" Neru asked, trying to confirm the person's identity. Neru felt very awkward. If she was wrong, she would be very embarassed. Maybe she shouldn't have asked, and just gone with it, regardless of who the person she was talking to actually was. Maybe it didn't really matter who it was.

Rin giggled a little behind her hand, and Neru felt embarassed. The girl was making fun of her. Neru shouldn't have asked the question. Neru's upset feelings didn't show on her face, but Neru thought that the girl should know that doing that would be upsetting. Laughing at people wasn't nice, and Neru thought maybe she didn't like whoever the girl was, even if it was Len. 'Next time,' Neru put the new rule in place in her mind, 'don't ask, or you'll get laughed at.'

"No, no, I'm Rin! Len's my brother," Rin explained, smiling widely. "We look a lot alike though, or at least people say we do!"

"You have yellow hair. It's the same yellow hair," Neru qualified herself, a little angry, but not showing it. She remembered the name 'Rin' from one of the door plaques. It was also yellow. Neru couldn't remember the shape of the plaque, but she had memorized the word "yellow" along with the word "Rin" when she had looked at it earlier, so she knew she was right.

"Well, yeah, we have the same color hair. We're twins," Rin explained. "But Len's hair looks more like a bunch of bananas. That's his favourite fruit. And mine is oranges! Like how my hair bow looks like orange blossom petals!" Rin gestured to her head, and the white headband there. "That's how you can tell us apart- because there's no o-R-ange in 'Len,' but there's an R in 'Rin'! Right? Plus, Len's a boy, and I'm a girl!" Rin chattered off quickly, entertaining herself with her pun on the fruits.

Neru couldn't visualize what the shape of a bunch of a bananas looked like, what the shape of Len's hair looked like, or what an orange blossom looked like, but she believed Rin that there was some sort of resemblance. Neru filed away the information she had received, although she couldn't really relate to some of it. They were facts she memorized anyways.

'Rin is yellow, and Len is yellow, but Rin is a girl, and Len is a boy,' Neru stated to herself. 'Rin likes oranges, and Len likes bananas. They are his favourite fruit. Rin wears a big white hair bow on her head.'

Rin didn't ask any questions, so Neru didn't feel like there was a need to reply. Neru didn't understand the expectant pause after Rin stopped chattering as an opportunity to share personal information about herself or her own favourite food. Rin chewed on her lower lip for a moment, then shrugged.

"Well, if you want dinner, come to the dining room now. Everyone is starting to eat," Rin said, and Neru absorbed the information, relieved to know where and when to go to get some food. Neru's stomach felt very empty. Neru got up from the bed and followed Rin out the door and down the hallway towards the dining room.

...

"Ah! Hello, Neru!" Master smiled as his new Vocaloid appeared following Rin. "I was wondering if you were going to join us or not. Do you like your new room?"

"I don't know," Neru responded automatically. Neru liked the idea of having her own room, her own space, but she didn't like the bed or the covers or the pillow. She didn't know how to answer the question. She couldn't decide between like or dislike. The answer conflicted with itself.

"Oh, I, see. Ha... haha," Master sweatdropped a little bit. "Well, it'll take some getting used to, but I think you will like it here. Sit down and have some dinner."

Neru followed Master's instruction and sat down in the empty chair between Len and a blue-haired man. Neru's eyes unfocused in the close quarters so she wasn't in danger of being rude by staring directly at someone's face or eyes. There was food on the table, and some of the dishes with food were being passed around for people to take portions of.

Neru's vision caught on the sight of a bowl of fresh rolls that looked really, really good. She made sure not to stare at them at first, and took a portion of mashed potatoes, took a portion of meat. A bowl containing cooked carrots was passed to her next, but Neru didn't like cooked carrots. They had felt disgusting in her mouth when she tried to eat them once, and the texture had made her feel intensely nauseous. Neru tried to pass the bowl without taking any vegetables.

"Neru, you need to take some vegetables, too," Master informed her from his seat at the table. Neru really, really didn't want to, but the bowl was passed back to her by the blue-haired man, and she held it for a long moment, hoping that the outcome would change.

"Neru, put some carrots on your plate, other people are waiting," Len whispered to her helpfully. Neru was grateful for the suggestion; she could deal with cooked carrots being /on/ her plate as long as she didn't have to eat them. She took a scoopful of the vegetable and passed the bowl along.

The bowl with the rolls had already made its pass, but Neru didn't know that, and no one appeared to realize that she hadn't gotten a roll. Neru willed someone to pass the rolls, but nothing happened. Feeling rude with how obvious she was being, but frustrated that no one had passed her the food she wanted most, Neru focused her eyes on the bowl of rolls like a hawk watching its prey. But still no one noticed, even after several minutes of Neru staring it down.

Discouraged, Neru kept part of her attention locked on the bowl of rolls, just in case they moved within reach. She started to eat her food, carefully avoiding the carrots. It was delicious and still pretty warm, despite the long wait between the time she had served herself and the time she had taken the first bite. Neru cleaned her plate except for the vegetables.

"Eat your carrots, too, Neru," Master scolded, smiling gently, as he noticed the single pile of orange on Neru's plate that was untouched.

Neru's stomach plummeted at the words and she cringed inside. She stared at nothing in particular as an uneasy, overwhelming tension filled her gut. She really, really, really did not want to eat the carrots. She hoped that if she didn't respond, she wouldn't have to eat the carrots.

Neru stared at her plate without focusing on it for several long, very tense minutes. Her stomach hurt. She wanted to leave. The idea of eating the carrots made her want to throw up or panic. Her body got very tense and rigid and she sat completely still, her face a tense mask of nothing. It was terribly important that she not react.

If Neru did or said anything, it would bring attention back to the problem she was trying to avoid. So instead she sat very still for a long time, looking at nothing, saying nothing, responding to nothing, and cringing internally that she might get hounded again by Master's repeated command at any moment.

Master sighed and scratched his head at Neru's behavior. "Okay, okay, Neru, you don't have to eat them if you don't want to that much. But you have to eat your vegetables tomorrow at least, okay?"

Neru's body hurt from the tension, and she relaxed the slightest bit, still very much on her guard, at Master's allowing her to not eat the vegetables right now. But she would have to eat them later. Neru couldn't distinguish between now and later very well, so it felt like the everpresent threat of the carrots was looming over her head, ready to strike at all times now, constantly. It didn't occur to her that tomorrow's vegetable might be something different than carrots.

Neru didn't reply because although Master had asked a question, she didn't want to commit to eating the squishy, nasty feeling cooked vegetables; either now, or in the future. If she didn't agree, she maybe wouldn't have to do it. She wanted to say 'no' but if she did, Master might force her to eat the carrots now. Neru didn't want that, and didn't want that desperately.

"Hmm," Master said thoughtfully, frowning a little bit. "Neru, when someone asks you a question, it's polite to at least let them know you heard it. Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes, Master," Neru replied in monotone. Neru frowned internally; she was right here. Of course she heard what Master had said. Was Master focusing attention on her to punish or scold her? Neru's stomach hurt with stress.

Master was still frowning, and the look on his face in Neru's peripheral vision was almost enough to make Neru panic. Frowning was part of being angry; Neru knew that. Neru hated it when people were angry. They yelled and it was scary and loud. Neru wanted to make Master not be angry but didn't know how. Neru wished she knew what to do. Her chest hurt from fear and tense anxiety and it hurt to breathe slowly and normally.

"Okay, well, if you're done, you can leave the table now," Master finally said. "It's not your turn to do dishes tonight, but tomorrow morning after breakfast we'll work on recording your first song. Okay, Neru?"

"Okay, Master," Neru replied, parroting Master's choice of words, and still feeling very anxious. Neru got up from the table and walked back to her room, closing the door behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

Neru closed the bedroom door behind her and walked to her bed, sitting down carefully on its edge, her back perfectly straight, her posture good. Her body remained perfectly still as her nervous energy collected in her still form. Neru started to jiggle her leg again, back and forth, expending the nervous energy and barely even realizing she was doing it. It felt comforting and good.

Neru took in the look of the room, eyes trailing over every single thing and its placement, deciding what was supposed to be how, in her mind. When something clashed, she got up and adjusted it, making the room more correct, more her own. She perfectly centered the alarm clock on the bedside table, then moved it slightly, not sure it was quite right, then moved it again, until she was satisfied. It was perfect. She could relax.

Neru looked back at the bed and its despicable covers and pillow that she didn't like, that weren't right. Just looking at them upset Neru. She ripped the covers off the bed and threw the pillow off to the side of the bed. Neru sat back on the bed. It still wasn't what she wanted.

Neru picked the blanket back up and put it back on the bed, struggling with the corners to make it perfectly straight. She grew more and more frustrated, because the covers acted differently than she wanted them to, and they refused to square perfectly. Neru held back a scream of rage and frustration and balled the covers up and threw them back on the ground, then jumped on them and stamped them with her feet in a dance of rage.

Neru tried again after breathing heavily through her mouth for a moment, picking up the blanket once more, but it still wouldn't do what she wanted it to. Neru didn't understand why this blanket was different than the one she was used to. She didn't understand why it wasn't the same blanket she always used.

Neru balled the blanket up and threw it into the air and hit it with her fists as it fell, threw it up again, and bit it, fought at it, screamed with her mouth full of blanket, trying to kick and hit both at the same time. She would express her rage and frustration and MAKE the stupid blanket behave!

Frustrated, tired, and almost to the point of angry tears, Neru finally gave up for the moment, and kicked the blanket into the corner of the room, feeling shaky and angry and stressed out. She put the pillow back on the bed, centered it perfectly, and lay down on top of it. She felt tears pricking her eyes hotly. The pillow was all wrong, and she threw it across the room.

Neru got up off the bed and sat in the opposite corner of the room that held the blanket, refusing to look at the offending fabric. She drew her legs up against her chest and felt the pain in her chest crushing her with pressure. She was tired, she was tired and stressed and frustrated and emotionally exhausted from the day, and yet even the bed would not cooperate with her. Neru started to sob quietly, hard, her breath catching in her chest in a way that hurt more and more the more she tried to repress it.

There was nothing she could do; she couldn't stop, couldn't control herself. Neru felt panicked and ashamed that she couldn't control her own body, due to her emotions being too strong. She bit her arm hard through her clothes, trying to regain control, trying to lessen the pain throughout her whole body by focusing the pain in one spot.

Neru bit again, again, again, gasped through her mouth as her chest squeezed, making it impossible to get a real breath of air. Her head felt fuzzy, light, confused, utterly overwhelmed, helpless, unable to make logic dictate the rules of the night. Neru started jiggling her leg again, then hugged herself close to her legs, trying to rock back and forth, distracting herself, trying to comfort her raw, overwhelmed reactions.

The tightness in her throat hurt. The tears in her eyes burned. Her body, her muscles, tense, hurt. Her lungs hurt. Neru tried to breathe slowly, controlled. Tried to calm down. Tried to stop gasping and crying. Tried to be as quiet as she could be. If anyone tried to interrupt her, if anyone saw her now, it would make things so much worse. She couldn't deal. Not with a single other thing. It was beyond what she could manage.

Even when the tears stopped, Neru's chest still hurt badly, and she could feel the edge of panic right at her fingertips as she struggled, again and again, to calm down. The floor was hard and hurt her butt. But the bed was a source of stress, so she avoided it. Neru lay down on the hard floor, without even a blanket to cover herself with, and tried to relax, tried to sleep. Her body's discomfort kept her up for a very long time, and the stress made it impossible to truly relax.

Neru closed her eyes and tried to breathe calmly, evenly, although her chest crushing her made it a difficult, painful task. 'Don't cry,' Neru instructed herself, reminding herself. 'It is stupid to cry. It doesn't change anything, doesn't fix anything, doesn't help anything. Don't do it, it's pointless and just hurts. So stop it.'

Neru comforted herself coldly with her logical reminders that being upset didn't do anything good. They didn't make her feel better, but they were something good to focus on, other than her out of control feelings of being overwhelmed. After all, if it didn't help, it was useless, and Neru felt inside that she should be ashamed if anyone saw her lose control like this.

The stress and energy in her body was so difficult to to simply endure until it was over, and Neru tensed and tried to relax her muscles over and over to get some relief from the physical discomfort. She suddenly tensed her whole body, all the way down her limbs, and slammed her arms and legs against the hard floor, balling her fists up and hitting her body parts again and again, kicking in the air, flailing, smacking her limbs against the floor over and over, trying desperately to expend the nervous energy that had no outlet. It didn't completely help, but some of the energy turned back into exhaustion, and was a little less unbearable.

Neru stared across the room at nothing in particular for a long time. Closed her eyes and tried to sleep for a long time. Opened her eyes again. It took a long time, several hours, before Neru's exhausted body allowed her to sleep on the hard, cold, uncomfortable floor, with no pillow even to have under her head, her body still wound tense.

...

Neru woke up feeling badly the next morning. Her stomach felt like an unpleasant sort of liquid had been poured or dripped down into it, and she felt queasy. She looked at the clock on her bedside, hatefully ignoring the blanket in the corner of the room. Her body felt stiff and hurt.

Neru tried to smooth her rumpled clothes that she had slept in. She stood up uncomfortably. She didn't feel very hungry, her sadness and stress sat fluidly in her stomach like an unpleasant meal. She noticed an unpleasant scent near her body that was a little bit like saline. She recognized the scent as something that happened whenever she got too upset. Smelling that scent made her unhappy and very self-aware, and paranoid that someone else would notice it. It made her feel sick and dirty.

Neru decided to go to the bathroom, wash her face and try to remove the scent, and relieve her bladdar. The door she remembered as the bathroom was closed, and Neru tried to open it. The knob turned in her hand, and it wasn't Neru's hand turning it.

Neru's heart hammered and she felt an edge of alarm as the door was wrenched from her hand. She stepped back, her pupils dialating slightly in her expressionless face. A girl with teal hair stood in front of her suddenly.

"Oh, hi Neru, good morning!" Miku smiled at Neru. Miku's hair shone with moisture from the shower. Neru didn't recognize Miku as someone she had met before yet. "Umm, if you need the bathroom, just knock on the door to see if someone's inside from now on, okay? You need to go in, right?"

Neru nodded, not trusting her voice not to be rusty after her cry-fest last night. She wondered if Miku would be able to tell that Neru had lost control of herself earlier. Neru wanted to wash her face, badly.

All the same, Neru's detail-oriented brain absorbed the information Miku provided about knocking on the door. Neru applied the new rule globally; if the bathroom door was closed, make sure to knock to determine if someone was inside.

Miku walked down the hallway, her twintails trailing out behind her. Neru didn't watch or turn, and instead walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Neru noticed the lock on the doorknob; it was the same as yesterday when she had used the bathroom. Neru locked the door. She wanted privacy.

...

Neru returned to her room when she was done in the bathroom. She watched the clock. Her stomach wasn't crying out for food, but Neru frowned internally as the clock hit 7:30. She didn't know for sure that breakfast was at 7:30, because the girl who had told her that information had also told her that dinner was at 6:00, and it hadn't been. Neru knew Master would want her to sing after breakfast, but maybe she should remain in her room until someone alerted her that breakfast was ready, like Rin had done with dinner last night.

It seemed like the most logical course of action, so although Neru wanted to walk around and stretch out her sore muscles, she sat still in her room, waiting patiently. 'I'm doing the right thing,' Neru thought to herself, trying to encourage and reward her own good behavior. 'I should remain in my room and wait for someone to get me.'

...

"Neru's not here?" Master asked, noticing the absence of his new Vocaloid at the dining table once again.

"Should I go get her, Master? I know she's awake; I saw her in the bathroom a little while ago," Miku offered sunnily. Miku liked mornings; it was the start of a brand new day and filled with the opportunity for good things.

"Thanks, Miku. And, make sure Neru knows that this is when we expect to see her, okay?" Master replied, and reached out for a glass of orange juice. Miku nodded, and walked briskly down the hallway to Neru's room.

"Neru! It's Miku!" Miku knocked and called out friendly through the door. There was a long silence, and Miku frowned a little, lifted her hand to knock again. The door opened, and Neru stood in the doorway.

"How come you're not at breakfast, Neru?" Miku asked, lowering her hand. "Master was asking after you."

"I didn't know when breakfast was," Neru explained logically. "So I was waiting for someone to come get me."

Miku's frown returned. "I told you yesterday when breakfast and the other meals are. Don't you remember?"

'This is the girl who told me the wrong information,' Neru realized, frowning inside, although her face didn't change its expression. "Yes, I remember," Neru replied evenly, feeling a bit of anger towards the incorrect information.

Miku felt flustered and flummoxed. "If you remember, then how come you don't know when to come to the table?" Miku's voice had a little edge in it. Was Neru trying to give everyone a hard time? This wasn't the way to make new friends!

"You told me the wrong time," Neru replied, her sense of unjustified scolding from Miku making her feel rankled. Was the teal-hair girl stupid? Of course Miku knew why! If she was the one who talked to Neru yesterday, then of course she knew that she had provided the wrong information. Miku had told Neru the wrong thing on purpose, and was now pretending like she hadn't done so.

"No, I didn't," Miku replied, confused and getting a little riled up herself. Miku frowned and shook her head, her twintails flying around her face. "I told you! Breakfast at 7:30, lunch at 12:30, dinner at 6:00. It's the same time every day."

"Dinner wasn't at 6:00," Neru said stubbornly, starting to feel really angry. Neru didn't like the teal-hair girl. Neru acknowledged to herself, 'Teal-hair girl is not nice. I don't like her.' so that she would remember this for later. Not only had Miku said the wrong information, she was refusing to admit it, and arguing with Neru, when Neru was clearly in the right and Miku was clearly in the wrong.

"What!? Yes, it was!" Miku's volume rose, she was getting frustrated at Neru. "You were there! Rin came and got you!"

Neru didn't like the yelling. She turned around and went back into her room, to escape from Miku. Neru closed the door in Miku's face, her pulse racing with adreneline from the increased volume of Miku's yelling.

'I hate the teal-hair girl, she is a liar,' Neru thought to herself and held back tears. 'She is a liar.'


	5. Chapter 5

"Where's Neru?" Master frowned as Miku returned, looking upset, to the dining room. The teal-haired girl frowned and shook her head.

"I told her to come, but she slammed the door in my face, Master," Miku replied unhappily. "I don't want to say anything bad about someone behind their backs, but I'm worried that I think she doesn't have a very nice personality."

Master's eyebrow raised and he frowned deeply. He put down his cereal spoon and rose. "I'll go talk to her. Miku, you come with me; I'd like her to explain why she would close the door on you and fail to obey my summons."

Miku nodded, feeling a little trepid and anxious. She preferred to get along with everyone, to smile together and make new friends, and she didn't like the feeling that she was getting the new Vocaloid girl in trouble, but she didn't like being yelled at and having the door shut in her face, either. Not that the unsociable blonde girl had raised her voice... but it still had felt like being yelled at when they argued, somehow.

Miku followed Master from the table, and she noticed that the other Vocaloids surripticously followed at a distance, obviously wanting to overhead the conversation that was about to take place. Miku sweatdropped, not really wanting an audience.

Master knocked on the door in an authoritative manner. "Neru, it's Master. Open the door."

A moment later, the door was opened, revealing an expressionless girl. She didn't focus her eyes on Master's face, and Master frowned deeper. Was Neru ignoring him, even though he was right there? Was it because she knew she was in the wrong with how she had acted with Miku? Master felt misgivings; had he chosen the wrong Vocaloid to bring home?

"Neru, I sent Miku to fetch you to breakfast. She says that you slammed the door in her face. Would you care to explain to me your side of the story?" Master asked.

Neru thought about that as she continued to stand in the doorway. The blonde female Vocaloid felt like frowning at the way Master had phrased his question. Neru had expected Master to ask her to come and work, since it was likely after breakfast; not to ask her questions about Miku. From Master's words, she could guess that 'Miku' was the teal-hair girl from before, and the teal nameplate on one of the doors with the word 'Miku' written on it finally made a connection between the 'teal hair girl' and the name 'Miku' in Neru's mind.

'But what does Master mean, /my/ side of the story? There are no /sides/ to a story, there is only what happened and what didn't happen. I don't really understand. What Master is asking doesn't make sense. I guess the answer is no?' Neru battled with her mind, and finally shook her head in reply to Master's question. She didn't want to explain her side of the story, because sides didn't exist.

Master's frown deepened, and the blonde girl started to feel anxious. Master was making an angry face. Why?

"Neru... I don't know how they did things back in the store, but in Master's household, it is important for all of my Vocaloids to get along with each other. Tell me why you closed the door on Miku and didn't come to breakfast like you were told to," Master's displeased voice said.

'Oh. If that's what Master wanted, why didn't he just say so in the beginning?' Neru thought to herself. She didn't really feel malicious toward the teal-haired girl, so she didn't want to get her in trouble, and so Neru decided to just respond with facts from this morning, rather than explaining the whole picture.

"She yelled, so I went back into my room," Neru explained, careful in her choice of words. Master's eyebrows rose again. He glanced at Miku.

"That's only because you called me a liar!" Miku said, outraged. Neru's gaze didn't refocus, but the blonde Vocaloid felt her stomach tighten in anger and unfairness.

'That's because you are a liar,' Neru thought with displeasure at the teal-haired girl. 'And here I was not mentioning it; but now that you've mentioned it first, if Master asks about it I will tell him exactly why you're a liar!'

Master glanced between the two females in deep concern, then turned to face Neru again. "Neru, why would you call Miku a liar?"

"She told me yesterday; breakfast is at 7:30, lunch is at 12:30, dinner is at 6:00," Neru said, the tight, angry feeling uncoiling in her stomach as her monotone voice shared the details.

Master waited for more information, and the pause in conversation grew long before he realized that Neru had given all the explaination she was apparently going to give. The human male frowned again in confusion.

"I'm not sure I understand. Why would that cause you to call her a liar?" Master tried again, but his patience was starting to wear thin in regards to having to wheedle every little answer out of the blonde Vocaloid girl.

"Dinner was not at 6:00. She is a liar," Neru added the last part due to the increasing, sickening feeling of overwhelming resentment. She knew that repeating it when she'd already explained that part made her seem vindictive, and she didn't like herself that she had said it anyways.

"What do you mean? You were there, at dinner. I had Rin come fetch you," Master said, his confusion growing.

Inwardly, Neru agreed. Rin who liked oranges had indeed fetched her for dinner. But she was confused about the context of Master's question of 'What do you mean?'? There was no confusion about the simple facts. What part of what Neru had said was confusing? Neru debated with herself a moment.

"Dinner was not at 6:00," Neru replied after a lot of thought, not sure how else she was supposed to respond.

"Didn't you come to dinner at 6:00?" Master asked, flummoxed. "If it wasn't at 6:00, then what time was dinner, Neru?"

"Yes. But dinner was not there. I went back to my room. Rin fetched me... after that," Neru felt upset with herself that she hadn't checked the clock to see what time it had been when Rin had knocked on her door. She wanted to answer Master correctly, but she didn't have the information, and that caused her intense anxiety. She should know the answer. She was stupid for not checking the time when she followed Rin to the dining room. Would Master get angry that she didn't know what time it had been? Neru beat herself up, deeply upset over not knowing the important detail.

Master blinked, his mind working slowly. Suddenly he remembered that dinner had been served a little bit late last night. Was that what Neru meant? The tension in his face and body left as he sweatdropped a little and ran his hand through his short-cropped hair. Master smiled awkwardly at the blonde Vocaloid female in front of him, suddenly feeling understanding.

"I think I understand, Neru. Listen... Miku wasn't exactly lying when she told you what time dinner was. It's just that she was speaking figuratively, and I think you took her literally. Dinner really is at 6:00 every night, but sometimes it's a little earlier or a little later. Do you understand what I mean by 'figurative' and 'literal'?" Master asked in a quieter voice.

Neru shook her head. She didn't know those words yet. The confused girl wondered if their definitions would make the rest of what Master was saying make sense, because clearly dinner had /not/ been at 6:00. Was Master lying too? Like the teal-hair girl had lied? Neru listened carefully, her stomach still in knots.

"Literal speech is when someone says exactly what they mean. You took Miku's words literally when she said, 'Dinner is at 6:00.' Literal words are good for declarative statements. But a lot of the time, when people talk to you, they will be speaking figuratively. Figurative speech is when someone says something and they mean it in a more general way, or a less specific way, and sometimes it can sound like lying, if the person who they are talking to takes it literally. Like with sarcasm," Master continued to explain.

"For instance, if I were to tell you, 'I love dogs," you would assume that I /mean/ that I love dogs. That would be the literal interpretation. But if I was being sarcastic, I might say, 'I love dogs,' and it would mean the exact opposite, because I said it sarcastically. In the same way, when someone tells you something like, 'Dinner is at 6:00,' it might mean dinner is exactly at 6:00, or it might mean dinner is at 5:55, or 6:01, or even 6:15. Do you understand?"

'That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard,' Neru thought to herself. 'If people don't say what they mean, why say anything? That doesn't make any sense. Absolutely zero. How am I supposed to trust anything anyone says if they might speak figuratively or sarcastically? How am I supposed to know what's literal and what's figurative? Does this mean literal is the truth, and figurative is a lie?' She couldn't wrap her head around it.

"I heard what you said," Neru finally replied, remembering Master's rule to be polite by acknowledging when someone asks a question. Master frowned a little bit again, wondering if that was Neru's way of saying no.

"Does that make sense to you, Neru?" Master tried again.

"No," The blonde Vocaloid female said in monotone. 'Of course it doesn't make sense. Why would that make sense to anyone with half a brain? It defies logic,' Neru completed her line of thought. 'Is Master saying it's okay to lie any time to anybody?'

"Ahhh... okay. Neru, let me try to explain it a little differently. Uh... let's see. Figurative speech is when you mean something, but the words might be a little bit different. You have to focus on the intent behind the words, rather than simply the words themselves. Like... if I were to say, "Apples are the best fruit in the world!' that doesn't mean that everyone thinks apples are the best fruit in the world. It means that I think apples are the best fruit in the world. It also probably means, 'I like apples a lot!'

"If you took my words literally, you would think apples /are/ the best fruit in the world. But if you ate an apple after that and didn't like it, you'd think I was lying about it. But that's not what I /mean/ when I say apples are best. That's why you have to take words with a grain of salt, and try to understand what people /mean/ when they speak, rather than just the literal words they say," Master rambled on, getting a little more desperate for some indication that the blonde Vocaloid female was understanding any of this. He wasn't used to having to explain things like this to his Vocaloids.

Neru mulled this new information over, trying to judge its accuracy. Miku was watching and listening with a strange expression on her face, but she didn't add to the conversation. Master paused, then tried again.

"Miku said dinner was at 6:00, but since she was speaking figuratively, what she /meant/ to tell you is that dinner is /around/ 6:00, not necessarily directly /at/ 6:00. Do you understand, Neru?" The human male asked.

"I think so," Neru replied. But she needed clarification; if the rule was that the time could be a little bit different and still be the truth, then exactly how MUCH time between 6:00 and dinner was accurate? How many minutes should she allow between the time that was told and the time that was the truth, and still have it be accurate? The thought boggled Neru's mind. If there wasn't a more specific rule, then when someone said 6:00, they could mean any time; even if it was many hours earlier or later.

The idea unsettled the blonde girl greatly. She would never know if she would be right or wrong! Should she go to the dining room one hour, two hours early? Wait there forever until dinner appeared, regardless of how long it took? Neru didn't know what to do.

"How long do you wait before or after a figurative time is given?" The blonde-haired Vocaloid female asked after a brief pause.

"I guess it depends," The answer came as Master mulled that over. The pit of Neru's stomach dropped in anxiety. "Usually around 15 minutes, I guess?"

Neru latched onto the given time limit like a lifeline, feeling some of the tension in her body dissipate. She had a new rule with strict boundaries; 15 minutes. Neru didn't like that it wasn't more precise, but she felt intensely grateful that she now knew how the rule worked.

"I'm sorry, Neru, I didn't realize you took me literally, before, and I got angry at you," Miku said quietly, as she realized that Neru hadn't reacted the way she had out of malice or spite. "It didn't occur to me that you would take me so literally."

Neru's eyes and expression were motionless and emotionless as she heard and appreciated the teal-haired girl's apology. It soothed her disgruntled feelings.

"Neru, when someone apologizes to you, it's good manners to accept their apology and thank them for saying they're sorry. I know it was because you didn't understand, but you should apologize too, since Miku's feelings were hurt when you called her a liar," Master said, and his very rational explaination made Neru understand and not resent being asked to apologize for something that was unfair or didn't make sense.

"Thank you for your apology. I am sorry for hurting your feelings," Neru said without inflection, her eyes still unfocused on a far-off point. She filed the new rule away in the back of her mind.

"I accept your apology, Neru, and thank you," The teal-haired girl said softly.

"Good, good. Now that that's settled between you two girls, let's go, and finish our breakfasts. Okay?" Master asked. Neru didn't think Master was speaking to her, or at least, he didn't ask a specific question, and so she didn't reply. "Okay, Neru?"

"Yes," Neru asked questioningly in monotone as Master's use of her name jarred her into realizing that the command was meant for her.

"Yes, Master!" Miku's cheerfulness was back and she smiled at the human male.

"Good. Let's go, then," Master reiterated and turned, leading his Vocaloids back to the dining table. The other Vocaloids stopped eavesdropping and scurried back to their own seats before Master, Miku, and Neru returned.


	6. Chapter 6

Following Master back to the dining room, Neru tried to match the rhythm of her legs' motions to Miku's legs' motions so they were walking in tandem. The teal-haired girl smiled briefly at her as they walked silently together, and Neru's insides warmed a little.

The whole event with Master and Miku, figurative and literal, and the explanation had been stressful. Neru was glad that nobody seemed to be looking mad any more. She hoped that things would settle down, and she would discover the correct routine to follow.

Reaching the dining room, Neru stopped in the doorway. The other Vocaloids were seated haphazardly as they had rushed to get back to their seats before Master returned. Neru's eyes immediately zoomed in on the seat she had been assigned yesterday. Someone was sitting in it.

All the relieved feelings of a moment before fled as Neru struggled not to let her upset show on her face. That was her chair! She wasn't supposed to sit anywhere else, but even more importantly, someone was taking over what was hers. Master had even told her to sit there. So why was that pink-haired girl sitting in it?

Maybe the pink-haired girl didn't understand that that was Neru's chair. Maybe she had made a mistake. Sometimes people made mistakes. Neru tried to fight the feeling of tension in her stomach that something wasn't right, the stress of having a confrontation, and the feeling of unreasonable anger that someone was in her space. She walked woodenly over to her chair and stood next to it.

"That is my chair," the upset girl declared, eyes focused on the intricate decoration on the pink-haired girl's clothing. It was shiny and pretty. Neru liked it, and she thought she might like the girl she was talking to, once she got out of Neru's chair. But right now, she didn't like the girl, because she was in Neru's space.

"What?" Luka blinked in astonishment as a monotone was levelled at her. Even though the new Vocaloid wasn't looking at her face, she was standing right next to Luka and facing her; there was no doubt in Luka's mind that Neru was talking to her.

"You are in my chair," Neru explained again, frustrated now. She willed the pink-haired girl to get up so that she could sit in her chair and have breakfast, like she was supposed to do. The pink-haired girl was stopping Neru from doing the right thing, from being where she was supposed to be. Maybe the girl needed more specific instruction. Sometimes that happened to Neru, so she understood it. Neru tried again, "Get out of my chair."

'I need to sit there,' the displeased girl thought at her new sister Vocaloid with intense pressure, growing more riled up with each passing moment. Maybe the pink-haired girl was challenging Neru's right to the chair. Maybe she was saying that Neru didn't belong there. But she was wrong. Master had said so. This was Neru's chair, and she had a place here. She wasn't going to give up her place.

"Neru!" Len hissed from beside her. "That's rude! Luka is already sitting there."

Neru's eyes didn't move, but her peripheral vision picked up that it was Len speaking, and she felt stung. Len was nice to her yesterday, but now, he was scolding her. Even though it was her chair! Why was she being told she was rude when the pink-haired girl with the shiny ornament on her chest was the one who was sitting in /Neru's/ seat? Did he not like Neru anymore?

"It's okay, Len," Luka's shocked blue eyes blinked, and she stood up from Neru's chair quietly, moving her cereal bowl to a new, open seat at the table and making room for Neru to sit.

Sliding in quickly, the relieved blonde Vocaloid female sat rigidly, waiting for further communication, if there was any. Len was frowning at her, and her stomach felt clenched. Neru couldn't remember a time when she didn't feel this constant anxiety. Everything was immediate and right now.

"Sorry, Luka," Len mumbled to the pink-haired girl. For some reason, he felt like he was somehow responsible for his new sister Vocaloid's actions. Luka smiled a little, encouragingly, back at him, then turned her head back to Neru.

"It's okay. I'm sorry too, Neru. I didn't know this was your seat," Luka tried to make a peace offering with her words. It was becoming clear to her that Neru had a different style than any of the other Vocaloids she knew. But she didn't want to upset the girl; it was better to make friends.

Some of the tension left Neru's body as she heard the apology. The pink-haired girl was not trying to take over her space on purpose. She resented it a little that the pink-haired girl was stupid and didn't know that the chair was Neru's, but it didn't sting too badly, since it had been corrected. Neru was grateful for that, and felt encouraged by the soft smile the girl was directing at her. She seemed like a nice girl.

"Thank you for your apology," Neru replied in a blank tone, remembering the rule to acknowledge an apology when it was given. That was the polite thing to do. It was good manners. Glancing off to one side, Neru let her peripheral vision take in Len's face a little better. He was still frowning slightly, and that made Neru feel bad.

She hadn't done anything wrong, and the problem was solved. The pink-haired girl had apologized; Len knew now that she was the wrong one, not Neru. But he was still frowning. Neru returned her gaze to the dining table unhappily. She didn't know how to fix Len's angry face, and that made her feel upset and a little depressed.

A man with purple hair moved a box of cereal and a carton of milk in front of her and smiled in a friendly manner.

"Help yourself, Neru. You can have as much cereal as you want for breakfast," Gakupo offered. Neru absorbed the information, and, feeling encouraged, her hungry stomach prompted her to take a clean bowl from the middle of the table and pour cereal and milk into it.

Taking a bite, the good sensations of crunchy and liquid combined on her tongue as she chewed, and Neru relaxed a little bit more. Master was watching her, but his facial expression didn't indicate anything bad to her. She swallowed her first bite of cereal and raised her spoon to take another. 'Breakfast is cereal,' Neru thought to herself, a little more contentedly as her empty stomach was filled. 'I can have as much cereal as I want for breakfast. I can help myself.'

"Luka, Meiko, Len, it's your turn to wash dishes this time," Master reminded everybody as Neru finished her bowl of cereal and paused to decide if she wanted more, deciding against it. She felt full now. "Neru, we'll work on recording your first song once dishes are done. I have sheet music for you to study here; it's okay if it takes a little while to get it right. Do you know how to read sheet music yet?"

"Yes," Neru smiled inwardly to herself. She liked sheet music. Master was rewarding her with something she liked. She had sat in the right seat and eaten the right breakfast, and now good things were happening. She glanced over at Len without moving the position of her head or eyes, and noted that he was smiling again, too. Good things were happening now, all because she was following the rules correctly.

A feeling of encouragement and pleasure lifted Neru's spirits. Routines were comforting, because when you follow the rules, everything will be okay. It was only when the rules were broken or routines were changed, that bad things always happened. Neru felt a growing contentment as she thought to herself: 'I will learn all the rules, and then only good things will happen to me in Master's house from now on.'

Suppressing the urge to smile on her face, Neru allowed her dishes to be collected and rose from her seat, ready to follow Master and learn the sheet music he had prepared.


End file.
